In northern Kosovo, Serb demonstrators gathered again this morning in front of the municipalities of Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic to protest against the installation in their offices of the new ethnic Albanian mayors elected in the local vote on 23 April. For now, the situation appears calm, even if it is evident a massive presence of units of the Kosovo police and soldiers of KFOR, the NATO Force in Kosovo to guard the sensitive points. Meanwhile, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, in an interview with Radio Anch'io assured that among the Italian soldiers engaged in NATO's KFOR in Kosovo involved in yesterday's incidents "there are no serious injuries". The military, he added, are "being treated in Kosovo and our ambassador will visit them this morning. There is also General Figliuolo, they are closely followed with great solidarity. The Italian military are part of a NATO mission that aims to prevent the emergence of a new conflict between Kosovo and the Serbs".
Yesterday in Zvecan in violent clashes between demonstrators, police and KFOR troops were injured about fifty Serbian demonstrators and thirty NATO soldiers, of which 11 Italians and 19 Hungarians. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said his country's 19 wounded soldiers were operating under Italian command. According to local media, the new mayors of Zvecan and Zubin Potok do not intend to reach their offices in their respective municipal offices today but should carry out their activities in branch offices located in nearby villages.
ANSA Agency
Clashes in Kosovo, 34 KFOR soldiers wounded, 11 Italians
The new tensions in northern Kosovo risk precipitating the situation in the heart of the Balkans, with ethnic opposition today experiencing a worrying escalation resulting in violent clashes between NATO Force soldiers and demonstrators.
The mayor of Leposavic seems to have been stuck yesterday in the City Hall, where he allegedly spent the night. Harsh condemnations of yesterday's serious incidents have also come in the last hours from Eulex and UNMIK, the EU and UN missions in Kosovo. And the cross-accusations between Pristina and Belgrade continue, which blame each other for the new strong tensions and clashes in northern Kosovo. Last night Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic pointed to Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti and his incendiary and hostile policy to the Serbs as solely responsible for this situation, and appealed to the international community and the Quint countries in particular to 'bring Kurti to his senses', before it is too late. The President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani for her part pointed the finger at the "parallel structures" of Serbia in the north of Kosovo, which she said have turned into real "criminal gangs" that destabilize the situation in the north.
The EU condemned "in the strongest possible terms the shocking violence in Zvecan. The violent acts committed against the troops of the NATO mission in Kosovo (KFOR), the media, civilians and the police are absolutely unacceptable." In a tweet, EU High Representative Josep Borrell urged Kosovo's authorities and protesters "to reduce tensions immediately and unconditionally. We expect the Parties to act responsibly and immediately find a political solution through Dialogue."
